Rain
by BetterDeadThanAlone
Summary: "It's not me," she wanted him to know. Needed him to know. And she hated herself for it. "I'm not the bride. I'm not marrying Naruto."  A falter in his step. Shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. An exhale of breath.


**This is quite different from what I normally do. No fluff, but plenty of angst. Or as angsty as I could ever be anyway...**

**As of April 2012 I fixed some typos and cleaned it up a bit. Nothing major.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any profit from this.

**Rain**

It was raining in Konoha that day.

It had been pouring down for weeks with no sign of letting up, and yet the spirit of the village was at its highest. Careful preparations for the celebration to come later that evening were seen everywhere; from the florists scurrying about with lavish bouquets, to the ninja supervising the construction of benches, to genin teams cleaning the streets. Laughter and cheerful singing could be heard clearly through the rhythmic beating of raindrops falling on ground.

Even from where Sakura stood atop the Hokage Monument, did she hear the echoes from it. Closing her eyes she welcomed the rain, begging it to wash away the melancholia that had her in a firm grip; like a vice wrapped around her soul. She had promised herself to not think about him, not today of all days. Today was for looking towards the future, not linger in the past as she did, and had done too often throughout the years that had gone by.

A familiar face with sharp angles, pale skin and dark hair rose unbidden before her minds eye. Again. Always there, close to the surface. Memorized years ago, along with the way he held his body. How he walked. How he spoke. How he said her name...

"Sakura."

She was not surprised by the quiet statement, even though she knew she should have been. She should feel terror and fury, not comfort and ill-suppressed longing. Was this why she was here? Had she known, deep inside her heart, buried under self-doubts and insecurities, he would come?

"Sasuke," she said calmly, her eyes still firmly closed. She sensed his presence some ten feet away. His chakra a familiar and welcome pressure on her senses. _Too far away,_ a soft whisper said inside her head.

"I heard." Sasuke said, his voice betraying nothing.

"I thought you might." Of course he had. Nothing ever did escape him. "It's not a secret the Hokage's getting married later today." She had to faintly smile at that. Naruto had blatantly refused to keep the wedding a secret, saying anyone was welcome to target him or his future wife, but if they did, they should be prepared to be ass-whopped because both of them were made of pure awesome!

"He is happy then, I suppose." Something Sakura could not properly identify had sneaked its way into his voice, creating an edge not usually there. Feeling, in an otherwise expressionless being.

"Naruto is finally Hokage and he's marrying the love of his life. He's gotten everything he has ever dreamed of. I'd say he is very happy."

Between one heartbeat and the next, he closed the distance separating them. She could feel the warmth coming from his body, a sharp contrast to the relentless chill from the rain. A shiver traveled slowly down her spine.

"What about you, Sakura?" He whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her. That edge still present in the words he spoke.

"What about me?" She asked. Sasuke's fingers hovered millimeters from the skin on her arms, making goosebumps appear in its wake. _Still too far._

"Will you truly be content-" He caressed her pink hair with a gentleness she didn't think he was capable of. "- Living this lie?"

A lump formed in her throat, eyes burning under closed lids, but her voice remained steady. "My life is not a lie." She felt the warmth leave her back, just as quickly he was ten feet away again. Coldness seeped into her bones. The air suddenly much colder; the rain more chilling.

She whirled around, her eyes suddenly wide open. His back was to her, walking away. Her heart ached at the familiar sight. "It's not me," she wanted him to know, she _needed_ him to know before he left again. And she hated herself for it. "I'm not the bride. I'm not marrying Naruto. I'm not marrying anyone."

A falter in his step. Shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. An exhale of breath.

"But you will stay?"

Sakura knew him well enough to understand what he was really asking. "Yes, Sasuke." How many times could she survive having her heart broken by this man, before she was beyond repair? Maybe she already was. "You know I could never leave, not even for you. I would never forgive myself."

"You begged me once." he reminded her, as if she would ever forget. Could ever forget.

"I did." She said, the lump in her throat painful. "But it's too late now. That was a very long time ago."

He turned around, facing her. Onyx met emerald. Sakuras already faltering resolve started to crumble. The stubborn set of his jaw, his fine lips, his eyes half hidden in shadow... Her heart raced, her hands started to shake. She hated the influence he still had over her. Even more, she hated how she craved it. How she longed for it. "I'm not weak anymore."

Sasuke looked at her, expression unreadable. "You were never weak."

Without a sound he was gone, leaving Sakura behind yet again. She should go after him, force him to stay, make him see he belonged in the village with them!

_With her. _

She should, but she didn't. Because if she did she might do what she swore she would never do, not even for him.

She closed her eyes and listened to the echoes of laughter and joy coming from the village below her, convincing herself she made the right choice. That the ache in her chest was nothing compared to the consequences of the other, impossible, unspeakable choice.

Her tears blended in perfectly with the rain.


End file.
